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Consumers brace for premium hikes while lawmakers grasp at remedies

As some insurers angle for hefty premium hikes and concerns grow that more Americans will wind up uninsured, the federal health law is likely — once again — to play big in both parties’ strategies for the contentious 2018 election.

11 May 2018

Under Trump proposal, lawful immigrants might be inclined to shun health benefits

The Trump administration is considering a policy change that might discourage immigrants who are seeking permanent residency from using government-supported health care, a scenario that is alarming some doctors, hospitals and patient advocates.

11 May 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ The politics of rising premiums and menu labeling

Proposed insurance premium increases unveiled in Maryland and Virginia officially marked the start of finger-pointing on Capitol Hill this week, as Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for the dysfunction of the individual insurance market under the Affordable Care Act.

10 May 2018

Annual well woman exams by OB/GYNs provide powerful opportunity to evaluate heart health

Annual well woman exams by OB/GYNs provide a golden opportunity to evaluate a woman's heart health, according to a new joint advisory from the American Heart Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists which stresses the benefits of collaborative care between OB/GYN specialists and cardiologists.

10 May 2018

New study shows MRSA is no more expensive to treat than MSSA

A new study from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, with collaborators from Johns Hopkins University and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, found that infections caused by one of the most common drug resistant bacteria in the US--methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA--are no more expensive to treat than MSSA, the methicillin-susceptible version of the same bacteria.

10 May 2018

When credit scores become casualties of health care

After a devastating horse-riding accident in January 2017 landed him in the hospital for about 30 days, requiring trauma care and hospital-based therapy, Jeff Woodard considered himself lucky.

9 May 2018

4 takeaways from Trump’s plan to rescind CHIP funding

President Donald Trump wants to employ a rarely used budget maneuver called "rescission" to eliminate $15 billion in federal spending, including $7 billion from the popular Children's Health Insurance Program.

9 May 2018

How the farm bill could erode part of the ACA

Some Republican lawmakers continue to try to work around the federal health law's requirements. That strategy can crop up in surprising places. Like the farm bill.

8 May 2018

Medicare beneficiaries feel the pinch when they can’t use drug coupons

This week, I answered a grab bag of questions about drug copay coupons and primary care coverage on the health insurance marketplace.

8 May 2018

Weak oversight blamed for poor care at California nursing homes going unchecked

California health regulators have allowed poor care to proliferate at nursing homes around the state, and the number of incidents that could cause serious injury or death has increased significantly in recent years, according to a stinging state audit released this week.

4 May 2018

New EU collaborative project aims to improve prevention and treatment of stroke

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin is hosting a new EU collaborative project.

4 May 2018

Study finds black women more vulnerable to financial toxicity of breast cancer

Having breast cancer placed a significantly greater financial strain on black women than white women, according to study by researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

3 May 2018

As proton centers struggle, a sign of a health care bubble?

The Maryland Proton Treatment Center chose "Survivor" as the theme for its grand opening in 2016, invoking the reality-TV show's tropical sets with its own Tiki torches, palm trees and thatched booths piled with pineapples and bananas.

2 May 2018

New Digital GP Service from Aviva and Now Healthcare

Aviva is giving large corporate health insurance customers swift, convenient access to more than 1,000 GPs, through a new collaboration with digital health company, Now Healthcare Group (NHG).

From Infohealth Ltd 1 May 2018

New scientific advisory suggests reforms to support more robust nutrition education and training

A new scientific advisory from the American Heart Association reviews current gaps in medical nutrition education and training in the United States and summarizes reforms in undergraduate and graduate medical education to support more robust nutrition education and training efforts.

30 Apr 2018

Following five lifestyle behaviors could prolong life expectancy for men and women

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including eating a healthy diet, regular exercise and not smoking, could prolong life expectancy at age 50 by 14 years for women and just over 12 years for men, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

30 Apr 2018